Senator Ali Ndume and President Bola Tinubu
Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has distanced himself from the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office, citing the example of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lost his re-election bid despite securing the endorsement of 22 PDP governors in 2015.
Ndume, a high-ranking APC member, expressed his disappointment with the current state of the country, lamenting the harsh economic situation, skyrocketing cost of living, and insecurity ravaging parts of Nigeria.
“Nigerians cannot see any hope, they are doubting the Renewed Hope,” said Ndume, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
Endorsement Means Nothing
The senator emphasized that endorsements from politicians do not guarantee electoral success.
“It happened before, not once, not twice. It happened during Jonathan. That does not mean anything.
Politicians are decamping but the people who are the voters are not decamping,” Ndume said.
Ndume expressed sympathy for President Tinubu, saying, “I pity Mr. President.”
He advised the president to look back at history and realize that gatherings of people to endorse him mean nothing. “Jonathan had 22 governors then endorsing him like was done now. And what happened? Jonathan lost woefully. A lot of money was spent. Even the election was shifted but we are not learning our lessons,” he added.
Storming Out of the Banquet Hall
Ndume revealed that he stormed out of the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja when the governors endorsed the president for re-election. “I was there but that was not why I was there; I was there for a summit and when I realised that it was not a summit and voice vote was put about the endorsement of Mr President, I just left,” he said.
Ndume’s comments have sparked a fresh debate on the relevance of endorsements in Nigerian politics.
